Quaker State Racing/Tony Pedregon Indy Preview
Quaker State Racing Funny Car Pedregon Racing NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series 50th Annual U.S. Nationals Pre-Race Notes & Quotes Tony Pedregon Readies for Big¹ Weekend U.S. Nationals; Skoal Shootout On Tap For Quaker State Racing INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 2, 2004) Quaker State Racing Monte Carlo Nitro Funny Car driver Tony Pedregon will be trying to repeat as Skoal Shootout champion on Sunday at Indianapolis Raceway Park. It¹s only one of the goals Pedregon is seeking as the 50th Anniversary U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park gets underway this weekend. Pedregon will be making his eighth-straight appearance in the Shootout, which he dominated last year by screaming past former car owner John Force in the final. As for the money, the winner receives a cool $100,000 to win. ³This event means a lot to this race team especially on the financial side,² said Pedregon, who recorded a 4.947-second elapsed time in that Shootour final. ³It¹s a very prestigious race. Budweiser had hosted this race for a number of years, now Skoal has taken it over. This race hasn¹t lost its luster a bit. If anything because its Skoal¹s inaugural event, it may mean a little more. ³It says a lot about our team to maintain this position,² continued Pedregon, who joined borther Cruz and sponsor Quaker State in forming his own team at the beginning of this season. ³We had some low qualifiers and this event is all about performance. This event sure goes a long way for a race team. We¹re one of the top eight Funny Cars on the circuit, along with a couple Schumacher cars and three Force cars. We have some big dogs in this field. I think we earned our spot and I think we¹re as capable as any of these other teams to win this thing.² Pedregon and his Quaker State Racing team¹s recent performances have given them confidence. He feels the team is putting together the right of the puzzle. ³We¹re going into the biggest race weekend of the year,² Pedregon said. ³And we¹re headed in the right direction. We had a good test at Indy and learned some things during our weekend match race in Cordova (Ill.). We¹re by no means content, but we know we have all the pieces in place to go out and win a race. And this would be the biggest one to win.² Quaker State Racing Notebook: QUALITY QUALIFIER: Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State Racing Monte Carlo Nitro Funny Car race team have found their qualifying stride lately. In the last three races, Pedregon has recorded a second (Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.); a sixth (Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway) and a fifth at the most recent event in Memphis, Tenn. So far this season, Pedregon has qualified in the top half of the field in 11 of the 17 races run. Quaker State® is one of the world¹s leading motor oil and automotive products brands, and is marketed in over 45 countries. Quaker State® offers a full line of lubricants specially formulated for the needs of different engines, transmissions and gears. All products undergo extensive research, development and testing to meet and exceed the latest industry and OEM performance requirements. Quaker State® Racing develops highly specialized extreme performance oils and lubricants available to race teams worldwide. For more information about Quaker State® products and partners visit www.quakerstate.com. Quaker State® brand products are manufactured by SOPUS Products, a subsidiary of Shell Oil Company. SOPUS Products is a leader in fast lubes, automotive/consumer products, transport and industrial offerings to consumer and business customers. SOPUS Products markets Pennzoil®, Quaker State® and FormulaShell® motor oils, a portfolio of car care products and Jiffy Lube® services. Shell Oil Company is an affiliate of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies . For more information please visit www.shell.com. -PedregonRacing.com- Contact: David Harris, Cox Marketing Group Media Relations Manager Pedregon Racing (704) 799-2114 office (704) 756-9301 - mobile